As debate swirls around the federal Affordable Care Act, officials in north suburban Cook County have already geared up to serve as an information source.

In Maine Township, officials are exploring the prospect of the township serving as a federally certified intake site for those looking to sign up for health care coverage. And in Niles, village officials already have completed informational seminars on the federal law – with more of the same possible down the road.

"I think people want more specifics," said Bridget Powidzki, a nurse at the village's senior center. "I think there's a sense of uncertainty on what the changes will bring to them as individuals."

Thousands of Cook County residents got new health care options on Oct. 1 through the state's online "marketplace" for insurance plans. Uninsured residents were allowed to begin shopping different coverage options, from which they would be required to select by March 31 to avoid a tax penalty. The insurance marketplace opened to a mix of excitement, confusion and concern.

To brace for the sweeping changes, state and local agencies rolled out broad initiatives to help consumers navigate the new options.

Officials with the Cook County Health System set a goal of enrolling 115,000 residents in CountyCare, an Illinois Medicaid program for adults, before the Oct. 1 debut of the Affordable Care Act marketplace, spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said.

By the week before the debut, about 103,000 eligible adults between the ages of 19 and 64 already had been enrolled in the program, which will provide a bridge for low-income residents to the new federal health care program, she said.

"A lot of folks in the county need health insurance, so we've had a major outreach program running since last winter," Kollias said. "We've already had great success helping a lot of uninsured residents get high quality health care."

Kollias there are currently an estimated 750,000 uninsured Cook County residents, which officials expect will drop to roughly 500,000 residents with the start of the Affordable Care Act. That number will also decline as residents continue to enroll in health insurance programs, she said.

Alison Leipsiger, legislative director for state Rep. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, said counselors will be on hand to assist residents with questions about the Affordable Care Act and health-care transition at a public forum on Sunday at Evanston's Levy Center.

Biss and other state officials will lead a discussion on the new health care program, Leipsiger said.

A regularly scheduled health expo in Niles recently included information on the health-care law, as did two previously scheduled sessions last month, said Kelly Mickle, Niles Senior Center director.

More informational sessions could be scheduled in the future, she added.

Maine Township Supervisor Carol Teschky said her office is reviewing paperwork that could allow the township to become a federally certified intake site – meaning residents in the area could come to township offices for information and to enroll in health-care coverage.

"That's what we do here at the township," she said. "We always look out to help the residents locally."

Township staff members would still need to undergo training before becoming certified application counselors, Teschky added.

But not everyone's convinced the new law will be a boon for all.

Dean Klassman, a health insurance broker for more than 30 years, said young and healthy people might pay more than they otherwise would in a given geographic area because of the community rating rules of the new law.

"That's the scary part," said Klassman, of the Arlington Heights-based Klassman Financial Services.

But Klassman sees the positive, too. Under the new law, no longer will people with pre-existing conditions be denied access to health insurance or have to pay exorbitant rates.